Audience Feedback

My original draft of my questionnaire asked the questions:
Can you tell which genre of music the magazine concentrates on by looking at the front cover? (Yes/No)
Do you think that the magazine is reasonably priced, based on its content? (Yes/No)
Would you buy the magazine? (Yes/No)
Do you have any other comments to make about the magazine?


I then decided that the questions asked were too general and have since refined them to get a more precise answer from the people asked. I will then collect my data together and produce some graphs and percentages from my results. This will give me an answer as to whether I have answered the brief.


My new questions:

Which genre of music do you believe my magazine represents? (Please circle the appropriate answer)

Indie                           Rock                           Pop                             Dance

Jazz                            R&B                            Classical                    Heavy Metal

How much would you be prepared to pay for it? (Please circle the appropriate answer)

£2 - £3                                    £3 - £4                                    £5 - £6                        £6+

How often would you buy this magazine? (Please circle the appropriate answer)

Never             Weekly           twice a month           Monthly          Subscribe

If No, why not?

Which target audience would you say this magazine is aimed at? (Please circle the appropriate answer)

Gender:

Male                                       Female

Age bracket:

0 – 12             12 – 17           18 – 23           24 – 29           30 – 35

36 – 41           41 – 46           47 – 52           52+

Which feature do you believe is the main star of the front cover?

Which feature of this magazine makes you want to buy it?

Do you have any further comments to make about this magazine?

e.g. What other features would you like to see?

I have now used multi-choice and free text options within the answers, this makes the questionnaire more appealing to my survey group, because the answers are provided for them in some questions they just have to pick the appropriate one.

My 4 Original Images

This is the image that I have chosen for my main feature image on my front cover. I chose this image from my many others, because it is eye-catching, effective and I believe it stands out due to the way in which it shows the models features. For example her red lips, eyebrows, eye make-up and the way her hand rests lightly on her face.

I chose to use this image to represent my main feature artist on the contents page. I chose to use this one rather than other ones, because I like her over-the-shoulder pose as it makes the photo have more depth and doesn't look flat. The lighting also reflects her as being quite mysterious as though she is willing to talk about her career for the purpose of the magazine, but likes to keep some things about herself in the dark. My model also looks directly at the camera, thus engaging with the audience and drawing in their attention.

I chose to use this medium close up of my model for the double page spread, because it is landscape rather than portrait making it ideal to use within my double page spread. I also chose it because it is sepia and my model wears different clothes, which I believe reflects how a majority of magazines are laid-out. I think it risks losing continuity, but due to the model having the same hair and make-up it is obvious that it is the same artist. I like the image as it showcases her feminine side, with a white, lacy blouse complimented by two strings of pearls. I like the sepia tone to the photo as it fits in with the theme across the main feature that she likes to imagine that she lives in a different era and the sepia holds connotations of making it look more old fashioned.

I chose to use this image on my contents page to represent a smaller feature, I like this medium close up of my model as she doesn't look directly at the camera therefore she doesn't engage with the audience as much making the main feature photo more engaging for the reader, thus making the reader want to read the main feature more. I also like that she is also portrayed as being feminine with her long hair and floral play-suit, thus holding feminine connotations.

Other Ideas

I liked this music magazine front cover as it also is promoting itself to a fairly niche audience, blues and soul music fans. But it has a very eye-catching, bold, yet simple image of their main feature artist. They also have a left-third, two or three main colours - making up a house-style. I also like the use of a skyline and the banner across the bottom.

I like this photo because I was originally going for a theme on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and I thought that this image was a good idea to take inspiration from for the double page spread as the photo is landscape and could be recreated. I liked the idea of having my model laid in a field as if it were Wonderland wearing an eye-catching dress with lots of accessories. I later decided not to go with that idea because I didn't enough time to find an ideal location.

I like this image of Michael Buble, because he has a bit of a jazz/swing/blues edge to his music and this image looks as though he is dancing. I also like the way the lighting is used to show one side of him and leave the other in the dark.

I liked this image because it shows them dancing in several different images and the main focus is the couple dancing on top of a top hat, which I think ties in nicely with jazz.

Music Magazine Prezi

Music Magazine Foundation Portfolio Unit G321 on Prezi

Draft Photos for Contents Page

I like this mid-shot image of my model for a smaller feature image to use within my contents page. I like the fact she looks fun-loving and smiley. Her long hair and floaty dress highlight her femininity.

I like this photo and how my model looks directly at the camera with wide-eyes and her flowery play-suit highlights her femininity. But I chose not to use it because I think it would be more suitable for a front cover because she directly engages with the audience.

I like this photo of my model because of the way she looks sideways across the camera with a serious expression, but I chose not to use this image because I thought it was too eye-catching and didn't want to distract the reader away from the main feature.

I like this mid shot photo of my model because it shows the different colours of her dress, but I chose not to use it on my contents page because the model's eyes are not open.

I like this mid-shot photo of my model, because I think her pose shows her femininity - but maybe too much and could hold connotations of her being a bit ditsy so I have chosen not to use it on my contents page.

Contents Page Ideas

I like the layout of this contents page from MOJO magazine and the way it has several photos to represent the smaller features. It also contains three sections and some features from people who have contributed to this issue. Also I like how this is slightly different to the idea that I have chosen as it doesn't have a headline it just has the Masthead instead.

I really love this example of a contents page in MOJO magazine and the way the text is wrapped to fit with the shape of the model's body. I also like the way the conventional text colours are used, especially the way the red links to the model's hair. I like the way the text is set out with the bigger typeface followed by the smaller text describing it. Also I like the small Masthead text used in the bottom-right corner with the page number creating a sense of continuity.

Constructing the Double Page Spread in Photoshop

First I started off by opening up a new document in Photoshop, this time it was a A3 landscape document to make my double page spread.

I opened up an original image in Photoshop and edited the blemishes on her skin by using the spot healing brush tool. I also added a large headline and a smaller version of my masthead to the corner to create continuity across all the three elements of my magazine.

I then edited my large headline by selecting Layer>Layer Style>Outer Glow and gave the text a purple outer glow creating continuity through the house style of the colours black, white and purple. I also added three other images to create an image column down the right-side of my double page spread, these reflect the large headline of "Many Faces..."

I then added my main body text to my double page spread using Microsoft Publisher, alongside the text I added a drop cap and pull out quote, these are conventional features of a double page spread and make it look increasingly professional.

I then added columns to my main body text as that is generally what they use in magazine double page spreads.

I added the pull out quote within one of the columns and a drop-cap to the beginning of my main body text - this needs to be changed to purple to stay within my chosen house-style.

Since completing a first draft for my double page spread I have taken some more photos and re-thought the layout. After looking at other magazines and their main feature star in the double page spread, a majority of the time they are wearing different clothes than they were in the front cover, to show off how the artist can be versatile and what happened during the photo shoot. Therefore I have decided to take some more photos, to add to the number of original images that I need to complete the brief. Before, in my first draft, my model was wearing the same clothes as the front cover and I believe it would be a more realistic magazine if her clothes were different. I have the image below for my double page spread image. I dressed my model in a white, feminine blouse and pearls to represent her elegant persona.

This is my original image that I have chosen to use within my double page spread.

I then opened it up in Photoshop and edited it appropriately to create a professional  looking image.

I used the spot healing brush tool to get rid of any blemishes on my model's face.

I then added my main image to the background that I have opened in Photoshop. I added a smaller version of my Masthead to the corner to create continuity.

I then added a background shape to put behind my large headline text, I selected Edit>Transform>Rotate to turn the shape on a side like a banner across one corner of my double page spread.

I then changed the colour of the background shape behind my large headline text, to keep within my chosen house-style colours of purple, white and black.

I then zoomed into my image to see my model's face more clearly and edited the image again using the spot healing brush tool.

I added my "Mirror mirror..." onto one line of text rather than two.

I changed the font of my large headline from TW Cen MT Condensed to Vivaldi - changing it from a sans serif to a serif font, which I think is more suitable to reflect the artist and her band's persona.

I then added my main body text by opened my saved Photoshop JPEG image in Microsoft Publisher, I inserted three text boxes into Publisher and linked them all so that if any text didn't fit it would automatically go into the next text box.

I then added a crease line so that I would know where the fold would be if it were printed into a publication, also that would help me to know if me text ran into the half-way mark. I also added a graphical feature to the top-right of the spread, this was done in purple and TW Cen MT Condensed against a white background keeping within my house sty

I then added a drop cap to the beginning of the main body text, this is a conventional feature of a double page spread. I made my drop cap purple and Vivaldi to keep within my chosen house style.

I then made my main body text TW Cen MT Condensed to keep within my chosen house style, I also made the main body text size 12 because I think that this is an appropriate size for this text as it needs to be readable but not draw away the reader's eye from the main feature. I also justified all of my main body text to make the double page spread look professional.

I then added a pull-out quote to the right side of my double page spread,  in white and font Pristina keeping an element of continuity from the quotes on my contents page.

To finish off I added a byline and a photo credit underneath my large headline. I chose to use the font TW Cen MT Condensed in white and purple.

To finish off my double page spread I moved the byline above my large headline and a dateline (in TW Cen MT Condensed) next to my small version of my Masthead and a page number in the corner (in Broadway.)